MEC Jomo Sibiya to officiate at historic hand over of a farm workers housing project and its title deeds
In an historic intervention in the provision of housing assistance to farm dwellers, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Human Settlements and Public Works Jomo Sibiya will tomorrow Saturday 17 April 2021 officiate at the hand-over of 83 housing units and their title deeds at Willowdale in the Greater Kokstad Municipality’s Ward 6 in Harry Gwala District.
Implemented under the Human Settlements Department’s Farm Workers Housing Assistance policy instrument, the R12,3 million housing project is one of the few that the Department has successfully rolled out thus ensuring permanent security of tenure for farmhands coupled with decent shelter in the Province.
MEC Sibiya will be joined by Greater Kokstad Municipality Mayor, Councillor Bheki Mtolo, Harry Gwala District Municipality Mayor Cllr ZD Nxumalo.
One other project that the Department implemented under the same policy instrument is the one that involved the Hiltonian Society and uMngeni Municipality in uMgungundlovu District where about 26 former farm workers who resided within the Hilton College complex became beneficiaries of houses near Howick West.
This weekend’s housing project and title deeds hand over comes in the wake of the prevailing tension in some districts of KwaZulu-Natal and neighbouring Mpumalanga Province where two farm residents were allegedly killed resulting in the arrest of four suspects.
“The WIillowdale Farm Workers Housing Assistance and Title Deeds Hand Over Programme is indeed a historic one in that it takes place exactly at the same time when the Province is on tenterhooks amid the tensions between farmhands and farm owners in some districts of the Province. These tensions were evident during last weekend’s Premier’s Report Back sessions in oPhongolo, Gluckstadt and Normandien,” said MEC Sibiya.
One thing remarkable about this Farm Dwellers Housing Assistance Project is that the farm owner Mr Max Bastard has been positively on-board from its inception through the sub-division and allocation of land on which the 83 units have been built.
MEC Sibiya said the Willowdale Farm owner has been an exemplary and model farmer and the Provincial Government sincerely hope more other farmers in the province could emulate his deed so that there could be harmony in the countryside between farmhands and farm owners.
He further added that the sad sight of a farm owner demolishing a formal housing structure belonging to a farm worker Fana Mnguni in Gluckstadt outside Vryheid a few weeks back once again brought pressure to the Provincial Government to expedite the untenable situation under which most farm dwellers reside in many farms in the province.
MEC Sibiya said Premier Sihle Zikalala has encouraged communities to plant seed of peace, unity and social cohesion to grow KwaZulu-Natal into a fruitful and prosperous Province.
Members of the media are invited to come and witness this historic win-win situation between farm workers and farm owners.
The details of the housing project and title deeds hand over are as follows:
Date: Saturday 17 April 2021
Time: 12h00
Venue: Willowdale Farm Open Space, Ward 6, Greater Kokstad Municipality
For more information and media queries, please contact:
Mbulelo Baloyi
Department of Human Settlements
Cell: 079 871 3915
Nthabeleng Matshoba
Greater Kokstad Municipality
Cell: 073 366 0003
